Final Evolution
by Howling WereWolf
Summary: Final Fantasy VIII! X-Men Evolution style! (at least, that was the main idea.....)
1. Chapter ONE

Final Evolution

CHAPTER ONE

It's Final Fantasy VIII! X-Men Evolution style ^^! Not exactly, but I want reviews to continue! Pretty please!!!

~ * ~ * ~ * ~

_Just how many times do I have to do this?_ Dr. McCoy sighed as he dialed a number on his office phone. He patiently waited until it was finally picked up. "Hello? Instructor Gray? It's Dr. McCoy, concerning your student.....That's right, Evan Munroe....Yes, he was sparring with young Pietro Maximoff earlier.....got thumped up pretty badly. He should be alright now.....Could you please come over and pick him up? Thank you."

As he returned the phone to his desk, there was a rustling of sheets in one of the rooms. Dr. McCoy made his way in to greet one of his most frequent patients. "Ah. I see you're awake. How are you feeling, lad?"

Evan grunted. He had a headache the side of Pietro's ego, but he was not about to admit it. "Fine."

"Keep yourself out of trouble from now on, you hear?" Dr. McCoy did a second run-through on Evan's superficial cuts and bruises to make sure none would get infected. "Differences are **not** resolved by taking training to another level."

Evan cast his eyes skyward. "Tell that to Pietro."

"Why can't you just ignore him?"

".....I can't just run away."

"You want to be cool or something, Mr. Tough Guy? Just don't get hurt while you're at it." Dr. McCoy shook his head and left the room. Evan lay back down on the infirmary cot he had woken up on.

A few minutes later, Instructor Jean Gray walked into the room. She sighed exasperatedly at her student. "I just knew it would be either you or Pietro." She looked down to consult her watch. "Come on. We still have some time to make it to homeroom. Today's the field exam."

Evan got up and followed his instructor back to the classroom.

~ * ~ * ~ * ~

"So why is it you and Pietro can't get along?"

"It's none of your-"

"business?"

Evan flinched. Either she was using her telepathy, or he was getting too predictable.

Instructor Gray suddenly laughed, and stopped Evan in his tracks. "What's so funny?"

"Oh it's nothing." Instructor Gray waved him off. "I'm finally starting to understand one of my tough-nut students."

Evan huffed. "I'm more complex than you think."

"Well then, how about telling me about yourself?"

"There's nothing to-"

"talk about?"

Evan glared at his laughing instructor. "Stop that."

~ * ~ * ~ * ~

"Look who's back."

Evan ignored Pietro's snide remark and took his usual seat at the back of the classroom.

"Good morning, class." Instructor Gray walked up to the front of the classroom. "As you know, the field exam will commence later this afternoon. Those who failed yesterday's written test are asked to do their revision either in class or at the other facilities. Those who passed will report to the foyer at 1600. You may be free until then, but no loitering in the hallways whatsoever. Any questions?" Instructor Gray surveyed the silent students. "Oh yes. Pietro, you are reminded not to injure your partner again during training. Be careful from now on."

Pietro shrugged apathetically.

"Class dismissed. Evan, I wish to speak to you for a moment."

Evan waited for the rest of the students (especially Pietro) to leave before vacating his seat and walking up to the waiting Instructor Gray.

"Have you been to the Danger Room yet?"

Evan shook his head. _I was gonna go for that duel with Pietro....._

"Then we'll make a trip there. You're the only one who hasn't, so far, and I want to be sure you're physically capable to participate in the field exam." Instructor Gray gathered her stuff off her desk. "I'll meet you at the elevator entrance on Level B3. Go get your lunch and come down when you're ready."

Evan excused himself and left the classroom. No sooner was he out the door when someone charged into him from down the hall, causing him to stumble slightly backward and the culprit to fall over. "Excuse me."

"No problem, hon. My fault." The culprit, who turned out to be a thin girl with short curly blonde hair, got up and dusted herself off. "Say, is homeroom over?"

Evan nodded.

"Shoot! I missed it again!" She might have cursed to boot, but he didn't hear. "I just transferred here, see, and this place is tons bigger than my last place. Do you think you could show me around?"

_Ah well, I still have some time before meeting the Instructor._ "Sure. Let's go look at the directory on the ground floor."

"Sweet! Thanks, hon. I'm Tabitha Smith. What's your name?"

"Just call me Evan. Let's go."

~ * ~ * ~ * ~

When Evan finally reached the cafeteria, he found Pietro still there, accompanied by his usual two companions Wanda and Todd.

Wanda pulled some change out of her red trench coat. "Pietro: drink?"

"Hey baby-cakes, could I have some water?" Todd grinned hopefully. "I'm real thirsty."

Wanda shot Todd a dirty look before ignoring him. Todd shrugged and turned around to notice Evan just coming in. "Yo, it's Evan! Yo Evan, you wanna drink? Wanda's treating."

"Tolensky......"

Evan backed off as Wanda hexed the unfortunate Todd, sending him flying into a nearby table. Todd recovered quickly and sat up on top of the mess. "Beautiful and bad: just the type of girl that makes a guy want to.......brush his teeth."

"HIMMEL!" There was a rush of air as a blue furry individual zipped across the wall and landed in front of the counter with a loud "thwap".

"Guten Tag." He gasped for breath. "Do you *pant* have any *wheeze* nut bars left?"

"You're a little late, sonny. We just ran out. I'll try to order more, but there's no guarantee."

The boy threw his hands up in frustration. "Ach! Vy didn't I just teleport? It's hopeless to get anyzing unless I'm early!" He turned on his heel and trudged off, looking disgruntled.

".....Wall-hopping." Pietro sighed. "Let's go book that student for violating Institution Rule #125. Brotherhood of Disciplinary, move out."

"Affirmative." Wanda followed her brother's lead.

"Roger, yo." Todd jumped off the pile of wreckage and after his comrades.

Evan shook his head resignedly and ordered his lunch.

~ * ~ * ~ * ~

"Ready to go?"

"Yeah."

"Alright. Let's do this." Instructor Gray lead the way down the hallway and to a large titanium door. "Just key in your profiles and a time limit of your choice."

Evan did as instructed, setting a timing of ten minutes. Then Instructor Gray keyed in her profiles.

As the last piece of info was fed into the system, the door beeped and slid open.

"Well, this is it. You ready?"

Evan grunted and stepped into the Danger Room.

Instructor Gray smiled and followed. "You seem confident enough."

~ * ~ * ~ * ~

"You're handling yourself really well."

Evan ignored the passing comment and fired a row of spikes, effectively pinning a large razorblade to the wall.

"You know, most of the students I accompany here get so nervous that their thoughts are practically deafening."

Evan gave his instructor a strange look. "Point?"

"Just striking up a little conversation." Instructor Gray smiled. "Helps most of the students to ease up and get better results."

Evan rolled his eyes before taking out a nearby cannon.

"You and Pietro really have a lot in common." Instructor Gray evaded a laser sent her way. "For one thing, you're the only two who have this much confidence and control during a Danger Room run."

"Whatever."

= * = * = * =


	2. Chapter TWO

Final Evolution

CHAPTER TWO

~ * ~ * ~ * ~

"Some workout, huh?"

Evan shrugged and mopped his forehead with the corner of his shirt. Instructor Gray continued to work on the computer until it finally deposited a yellow card with a muffled 'beep'.

"So what's my score?"

"Hmm.....not bad......." Instructor Gray beamed with a certain air of pride. "You passed with flying colors. Good job, Evan."

Evan read the red lettering on the card, and could not stop the smile that fought its way onto his face.

Instructor Gray consulted her watch. "You still have two hours of free time. Take a rest, freshen up, change into your cadet uniform and report to the foyer. I'll meet you at 1600."

~ * ~ * ~ * ~

With a loud groan, Evan dropped onto his bed like a rock.

As he lay on his back, he started to count spots on the ceiling. He was still unable to sleep by the time he reached 100. He yawned a few times, but not once could he get some shuteye.

_Maybe I'm forgetting something......?_

Evan shut his eyes, allowing his mind to replay the morning's earlier events.

Pietro unleashing the challenge in the halls..........standing out in the rain.......accidentally spiking a tree while attacking Pietro........Pietro coming from behind in a rush of air........pain in the back of the head.......spots of black all over vision........loud thunder........muffled voices asking how many fingers were held up........bright light from an overhead ceiling lamp.......woman and dog behind a screen........Dr. McCoy lecturing about personal safety.........

_Hold it. Rewind....._

He forced his mind to focus on what had been quite clouded at that point of time.

He had first woken up and nearly blinded by one of the ceiling lamps in the infirmary. There had been a viewing window separating the room he is in from the next.

There had been a woman with brown hair and dark glasses, and a brown wolf-like dog panting up mist on the window they were watching him through.

_Who the heck were they?_

The clock on his table started to emit soft 'ding's.

Evan sighed. Forcing himself up, he grabbed his cadet uniform and headed into the shower. _Okay, spike boy. Change: Now. Think: Later._

~ * ~ * ~ * ~

"Evan! Over here!"

Evan walked over to where Instructor Gray was waiting. She was in her X-Man uniform, and there was a clipboard in her hands.

"Okay, let's see......" Instructor Gray flipped through a few pages. "Evan, you'll be in Squad B. Your partner is.......Kurt Wagner. Quite a lively fellow."

"Lively?" Evan rolled his eyes. "He's just plain loud. Can't I switch my squad?"

"Sorry, but it's all been fixed." Instructor Gray scanned through the crowd. "Kurt? Are you here?"

#BAMF# "Guten Tag, Fraulein!"

Evan waved the smoke from his vision to find an all-too-familiar blue and fuzzy German elf sitting on top of the directory.

Kurt did a back flip and landed in front of Instructor Gray and Evan. "So I guess I'm vith you, ja?"

Evan looked away and made no comment.

"Hey, better me zan Pietro, ja?" Kurt shrugged. "Heard he zumped you bad in zat fight zis morning."

"We weren't fighting, we were sparring."

"Didn't seem zat way to him."

Instructor Gray cleared her throat, regaining her students' attention. "I haven't mentioned yet: Pietro's the Squad B captain."

Evan's eyes widened drastically.

"Say VAT?!" Kurt exclaimed.

"It can't be changed." Instructor Gray reminded them. "This way, Pietro!"

Pietro sauntered across the foyer towards them with Wanda and Todd tagging along behind him. None of them were in cadet uniform, and they easily stood out among all the other students.

"All right, you two. Lesson One on Teamwork." Pietro took on a higher-than-thou look. "Stay out of my way."

Evan studied the trio. _The Brotherhood of Disciplinary has full attendance.......Why am I not surprised?_

"Pietro, Evan and Kurt: Good luck to all of you."

"Instructor. I do not need luck." Pietro scoffed. "Save it for a poor fool who really needs it."

"If you say so." Instructor Gray looked Pietro directly in the eye. "Good luck, Mr. Failed-The-Past-Four-Field-Exams-Maximoff."

Kurt snickered.

Pietro swore under his breath. "Add Instructor Jean Gray to the list."

_List?_

~ * ~ * ~ * ~

X-Van #334 wound along the uneven path leading from the X Institute to the port in the nearby city.

Out of habit, Kurt's tail started to twitch restlessly, causing a loud series of clunks from the car door it was leaning against.

"You oughta hack that thing off and ship it to a rehab center." Pietro commented. Then he added a hissed "Freako."

"Seien geflammt Sie!!" Kurt sprang from his seat and attempted to hurt Pietro in a messy way. It didn't help that Pietro was up front with the driving Instructor Gray.

"Boys. Break it up or ride on the roof."

Kurt plopped back down on his seat with a frown on his face. He was still bored out of his skull, but this time willed his tail to stay motionless under his body weight. He looked over at Evan, who was deep in thought. "Hey Evan! Can you show me your how spikes vork?"

"......."

"Just one little peek?"

"......."

"Come on, mein freund! Please?"

"......."

Kurt looked like he was about to comment about Scrooges all over the galaxy. Then he seemed to reconsider and waved three fingers in Evan's full view. "Give me a sign zat you're still alive, dude."

Evan blinked in surprise, abruptly breaking his thoughts. ".......wha...?"

"Vat's on your mind?"

"......Nothing." Evan and Instructor Gray replied at the same time. Evan looked up and saw Instructor Gray trying hard not to laugh.

He would have commented on how irritating her predictions of his words were getting, if he had not been planning to ask her anything.

"Instructor?"

"Yes, Evan?"

"Who was that woman with brown hair in the infirmary?"

"I didn't see anyone with brown hair in the infirmary." Instructor Gray looked his way through the rear-view mirror. "Why? Is something up?"

".....No. It's nothing." Evan remotely returned to his thoughts.

"This is just sweet." Pietro chuckled. "I've been teamed up with a hyper-tailed freako and a guy that just hit puberty."

One warning glance from Instructor Gray kept the seething Kurt planted to his seat.

~ * ~ * ~ * ~

"All aboard."

Instructor Gray led her students into the interior of a transport vessel. A few minutes after departure from the city port, a man with dark red sunglasses walked in from the cockpit. With a smile on his face, he saluted Instructor Gray. "Hey there, Jean. So which youngsters am I up against this time round?"

Instructor Gray returned both salute and smile before beginning introductions. "Scott, this is Squad B. Boys, this is Instructor Scott Summers. He will be briefing you on your mission objectives."

Kurt grinned and waved. Evan nodded a greeting. Then Instructor Summers saw the silver-haired mutant sitting to one side, aloof as could be. "Hello again, Pietro. Ready to get back into the non-stop action?"

"Oh, I just *love* these exams." Pietro's voice dripped with sarcasm.

Instructor Summers laughed at that. "I'll now give you a short run-through on your mission." Pulling out some charts from a binder, he made his way to the blackboard situated on the other side of the passenger compartment.

Pinning up a detailed map, Instructor Summers took out a marker. "The X Institute has received requests for assistance from the Morlocks. We've received information that the Hydrian army has invaded their territories, causing mass hysteria in most of the civilian towns. Your mission is to defend the towns from further destruction by the Hydras. Squad A has been situated here-" He drew a circle near the center of the map. "Squad C is situated here-" another circle appeared near the bottom. "And you, Squad B, are situated here." A final circle was drawn near the top. "It is necessary for you to remember where each of the squads are, as you may be required to deliver messages. The assigned squad captain will ensure that the whole squad remains at its situated position throughout the mission. Any student who leaves his post without permission will be heavily penalized."

Kurt's tail involuntarily twitched again. "Sounds like fun."

"Sounds like utter boredom." Pietro yawned.

"That's it for the briefing." Instructor Summers capped his marker and took down the map. "Remember that all actions you choose to take will be used to grade you in this exam. I wish you all the best of luck."

As Instructor Summers disappeared back into the cockpit of the vessel, Kurt's tail started to twitch even more.

"Nervous, Kurt?"

"Ja, Instructor." Kurt nodded. "A little."

"Here's Lesson Two on Teamwork: No anxiety-induced puking." Pietro announced. "Especially not from Freako."

Kurt's tail promptly tensed as he growled in Pietro's direction.

"Boys. That's enough."

"Whatever." Pietro leaned back and propped his feet up on the opposite chair, nearly decapitating Kurt's tail. "Evan. Go out and see if we're there yet."

".....Fine." Evan stood up and proceeded to the door.

"Good. After all, I'm your squad captain."

Evan was no psychic, but he could still visualize Kurt rolling his eyes and slapping his forehead in his mind.

= * =

**_Howling WereWolf_**:

Seien geflammt Sie = Be flamed (Babel Fish Translated)

Sure, our sweet little elf wouldn't have such violent tendencies, but I'd been threatened like that often by non-violent peoples when I was no more than a wee ickle Mary Sue wannabe (Yes! Be Horrified!!!). Besides, who wouldn't react like that after being (1) told that your favorite body part requires obedience training and (2) called "Freako"?

Then again......I could always be wrong........

= * = * = * =


	3. Chapter THREE

Final Evolution

CHAPTER THREE

~ * ~ * ~ * ~

Squad B's transport vessel shuddered violently as it ran itself aground. With a loud groan, the main doors swung open, allowing the students to jump out.

"Okay boys, it's time to do or die." Instructor Gray announced from the vessel entrance. "From here on out, the three of you are on your own. So get out there and do your best. May God be with you."

Pietro grunted and took off toward the flight of stairs that led to the city entrance. "Hurry up, you two! We've got Hydras to pummel!"

"I zink I can guess Lesson Zree on Teamwork: No lagging ze leader." Kurt joked.

Evan shrugged as he ran after their speed-enhanced squad captain.

~ * ~ * ~ * ~

"Squad B is officially in position." Pietro declared to no one in particular. "How many Hydras have we got so far?"

"Zree at a parking lot, two on an overhang, two in a junk shop, one at ze cinema entrance....." Kurt counted off. "I zink eight."

"Only eight? That's pathetic....." Pietro scowled and kicked a mutilated car. "Can you hear me, Hydras?! Don't hide from me!! Come out and fight like men!!"

A fragment of unknown element broke free from the wreckage, bounced on the street and rolled to a stop just a few inches from a dried up fountain. Suddenly, there was the sound of approaching footsteps.

"Nice going, O' Fearless Leader." Kurt accused. "Here zey come now."

Evan reached up and pulled his teammates behind the car Pietro attacked earlier. Safely under cover, they watched as at least one dozen soldiers ran down the street in single file, each one donning the official Hydrian 'octopus' insignia. All of them were headed for the far end of town.

When the last soldier was finally a safe distance away, Pietro was first to come out from hiding. "We're moving out, Squad B. Our next destination lies just ahead." He pointed in the direction where the soldiers had disappeared.

"Pietro, have you forgotten vat Instructor Summers said?!" Kurt protested. "Ve're not supposed to leave our post!"

"Then you can stay here." Pietro sneered. "We don't need any Mama's boys."

Kurt muttered a German oath before looking to his other teammate. "How about you, Evan?"

"I'm going with the captain."

"VAT?!"

Pietro smirked. "So you wanna have some fun too, huh?"

"This is my chance to seriously test my skill." Evan stated. "I want to see for myself my true strength." _And maybe yours, too._

Kurt swore another time in German. He threw his hands up as though seeking divine aid. "Ach! Fine! I'm in! Let's all get in trouble togezer!"

~ * ~ * ~ * ~

Following the Hydras didn't prove too much of a task. The dumb weaklings, as Pietro took to calling them, just left too many clues in their wake: injured Morlocks, broken windows, empty bullet shells, pockmarked Morlock weapons, etcetera, etcetera.

"This way!"

Pietro led them in an ascent up a hill. Halfway there, a nearby hedge rustled.

A filthy looking Morlock soldier stood up, clutching what was a crossbow in its past life. "Are you the X-Men?"

"That'll be us." Pietro replied smugly.

"Hurry!" The Morlock pointed at the top of the hill. "They're after our communications tower! I-" Suddenly he disappeared back into the hedge with a startled cry. Another pained scream announced it too late to save him. Seconds later, a giant cobra rose from that same hedge, hissing savagely.

"MEIN GOTT IN HIMMEL!!!"

Pietro backed off a few feet. "Why didn't the briefing mention something like this?!"

"I doubt anyone even knew about something like this." Evan exposed his spikes and fired.

The snake ducked and charged at Kurt.

"YOW!!" Kurt teleported out of harm's way. In the next two seconds, he reappeared in between Evan and Pietro, then all three disappeared in a puff of smoke.

The cobra hissed. Then it morphed into a blue skinned woman with fiery red hair. She pulled out a walkie-talkie. "HQ. This is the Mystique. They have called in the X-Men..."

~ * ~ * ~ * ~

#BAMF#

"That was too close."

Pietro snorted indignantly. "It was just a big dumb snake."

"Nein. It vas a big dumb *pissed* snake vith even bigger pointy fangs."

Pietro rolled his eyes and took the lead across the leveled hilltop. "There's the communications tower."

Evan looked down at the entrance below. "And there are the Hydras."

"I just love my life." Pietro sighed blissfully.

The doors opened, and two more Hydras came out. The first two went in.

"Mmph. Change of guard. As if that will help them any."

Evan rolled his eyes. Could there possibly be anything bigger than Pietro's ego? _Kurt's appetite, maybe...._

"Say Evan," Pietro muttered. "Do you have a dream?"

"What do you mean?"

"A dream? Also known as an ambition? A foresight? A goal in life? A wished destiny?"

Evan rolled his eyes. "I know what a dream is."

"Well, go on then. What's your dream?"

"Guys?" Kurt queried in a low voice. "Are you having a love talk, or discussing battle plans?"

"Quiet, Freako. This is private."

Kurt was silent. Evan could only guess what curses his blue furred friend was trying to keep suppressed.

Suddenly, the tower doors opened again. There were muffled shouts from the inside, and the two guards ran in.

"There's our cue." Pietro straightened up. "One day, Evan Munroe, I plan to drag you to one corner, and we'll have a little talk about dreams." With that, he turned and hyper-sped down the cliff.

"Err.....did I miss somezing?"

Evan opened his mouth to reply, but was promptly interrupted by a loud "There you are!!"

Evan looked up, standing near the ledge was a panting girl with blonde curls. Evan was about to point out the pathway to her when she stepped even closer to the cliff edge and promptly fell downward.

Kurt whimpered as he hid his eyes. "Someone's going to die........."

Evan took a few steps back as the girl tumbled through the hedges and landed squarely at his feet. "Are you okay?"

"No sweat, hon. I'll live to a healthy hundred." The girl got up and dusted herself off. "You're Squad B, right?"

Evan nodded. "That's right." _I think I've seen her before..._

"Hey wait! I know you! You're that Evan guy who showed me around!"

_Okay, now I remember: Tabitha Smith._

"I'm acting as a messenger from Squad A. So....." Tabitha look around. "Which one of you is the captain?"

Evan pointed to the bottom of the cliff they were on, where Pietro was at the tower doors.

"One of these days, I'll tell the world of my ROMANTIC dream!!" Then Pietro disappeared into the tower.

"Squad B Captain!! Wait up!!" Tabitha charged to the end of the cliff and threw herself downward. "COWABUNGAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"

Kurt's eyes widened to the size of dinner plates. "Is she *insane*?"

"Hey you guys!! Hurry up!!" The apparently fine Tabitha hollered.

Evan sighed. "Kurt. Get us down there."

"Ja."

#BAMF#

Tabitha waited impatiently as Kurt and Evan reappeared next to her. "Why didn't you just jump and save the energy?"

"Vat do you mean 'save ze energy'?!" Kurt pointed back up at their formal spot. "Don't you realize how high zat zing is?!"

"So it's high enough to break a few bones. So what?"

Kurt tentatively backed up a bit. "She is insane."

Suddenly, there was a loud scream. The tower doors swung open, and a mass of terrified Hydras scuttled away with Pietro on their tails.

"Humph. Cowards." Pietro snorted. He turned and ran back into the tower.

"Captain, WAIT!!" Tabitha called after him. When he did not come back, she ran in as well. "Come on, you two! The captain's getting away!"

~ * ~ * ~ * ~

"Darn this stupid thing......where's this [G-EDIT] wire supposed to go.....?"

Private Webber Torque hesitantly approached his superior, who was struggling to reconnect the circuit board in the control area. "Err....Major Matthews, sir? Everything's in-"

"To [G-EDIT] with the [G-EDIT] report!! Can't you see I'm busy?!"

"Um...pardon me, sir." Private Torque saluted before retreating out of shouting range.

~ * ~ * ~ * ~

"Where did he go?"

Evan, Kurt and Tabitha scanned the interior of the tower. There was nothing there except for a platform elevator.

"I didn't think it'd be this hard when I agreed to take the message." Tabitha muttered.

"Best guess is he went up. Let's go."

All three stepped onto the platform. With the push of a button, they started to rise frighteningly high into the air.

"Woohoo! This is *fun*!" Tabitha peered over the side.

"Don't jump off." Kurt warned.

"As if I would!"

~ * ~ * ~ * ~

"Let's see.....this goes here......that goes there.....and this goes........Done!"

Evan, Kurt and Tabitha reached the top just as the entire tower started to rumble and shake. Tools fell over the edges and plummeted into the sea. With a loud whir of engines, a large metal beacon shot out and realigned itself into a gigantic satellite.

Evan then noticed a lone Hydra standing next to a sparking opening in the control area. "What are you doing here?"

"???" The Hydra spun around, looking menacing. "Likewise, *mister*. What are *you* doing here? Torque!! Take care of these imbeciles!" Then he seemed to realize he was missing something. "...Torque?" His looks of menace promptly faded into fear.

"I....err.....my work's done here, so I'll just be going now...." The Hydra shoved his way toward the elevator. "Argh, I'm outta here! Move it! Move it! Move it!"

Then Pietro appeared in a rush of air and tripped him. "I don't think so."

The Hydra became furious. "Grargh!! Are you CRAZY?!"

Pietro snorted. "Just shut up."

There was a burst of gunfire as a smaller Hydra charged into the scene. He threw a gun over to his larger comrade. "Major Matthews! Are the repairs done, sir? What are these guys doing here?"

"Torque!! Where the [G-EDIT] were you?! I'm reporting you to the commander!!"

"There goes my paycheck." The smaller Hydra muttered. "Should've stayed home....."

~ * ~ * ~ * ~

_I'm awfully low on time, and I also suck at fight scenes. Therefore, I shall cut short and bring us straight to after the fight. Sorry to those who wanted to see Duncan-bashing. (It's pretty obvious he's Major M, right?.....no? Well, he is. :P )_

_~ Howling WereWolf_

~ * ~ * ~ * ~

If anything could be considered most humiliating, it couldn't be worse than getting pummeled into oblivion by four kids.

Major Duncan Matthews lay sprawled on the floor, attempting to look as dead as he possibly could. Private Torque was already out for count.

"That oughta teach you some respect." The silver-haired one with a mainly green suit commented. "Alright, you. Tell us why you're here and not with your squad."

"The signal couldn't be carried out, so I'm here to deliver a message." The scrawny blonde replied. "There's an emergency recall of all X-Men cadets to the docks by 1900."

"What? That gives us only thirty minutes!"

"Don't blame me. I'm just the messenger."

"Well then, let's scoot."

The elevator whirled as it went down. Alone once again with his unconscious subordinate, Major Matthew dragged himself to a small handheld device he had dropped.

_Good thing Trask built these Sentinel prototypes ahead of time. Too bad they're not water-proof and flight-capable yet, but no matter...._ "There. Those X-Brats are the targets. Go GET THEM!!!"

~ * ~ * ~ * ~

"Squad B Captain! Wait for the rest of us!"

The hyper-speeding Pietro was already long out of earshot.

"*Tch* This is Pietro Maximoff we're talking about. Should be expected."

Evan led the other two up the first cliff. Just then, a gigantic robot rose from the ground.

"OH HOLY [G-EDIT]!!! WHAT IS THAT THING?!?!" Tabitha gasped.

The robot's arms converted themselves into huge machine guns and started to pelt bullets in their direction.

"Everyone hang on!!" Kurt grabbed Evan and Tabitha. Within half a second, they disappeared with a #BAMF#.

The robot ceased fire. It's radar whined as it scanned the area. Finally, it locked onto it's targets' location and charged.

~ * ~ * ~ * ~

#BAMF#

#BAMF#

#BAMF#

#BAMF#

"Kurt!! Stop!!" Evan pulled Kurt's hand off his uniform. "It won't help us if you pass out before we get there."

Kurt nodded, looking slightly paler than usual. "Ja. Point taken."

The ground vibrated as the robot advanced again from a distance.

"HOLY MOLY!! HERE IT COMES AGAIN!!!" Tabitha clapped her hands together and produced a palm full of glowing balls. "Here's hoping these stall it. FIRE IN THE HOLE!!"

As the balls hit the nearby abandoned buildings, they exploded into debris that slid forward and blocked the robot's path. The robot's sensors whined again before it proceeded to smash through.

"LET'S GET OUTTA HERE!!!"

~ * ~ * ~ * ~

_There's no stopping this thing._

Evan drew back and fired a roll of spikes into a Hydrian rigged set of concrete slabs.

The docks were just ahead, with nearly all the students already on board.

As the slabs blew up and made another pile of debris, Evan fled for the transport vessel.

There was a short whine before the robot body-slammed its way through, nearly squashing Evan in the process.

"Evan!! Come on!!" Tabitha hollered from the last available vessel. "HURRY!!!"

Evan did his best to weave across the beach while bullets sprayed down like rainfall.

All the vessels opened fire at the persistent robot. One of the legs was shot off, and it came crashing downward.

"EVAN!!!!"

Evan waited for impact when a familiar #BAMF# transported him from the shadowed crash zone to the interior of the transport vessel. A muffled explosion hailed the robot's timely end.

"Thanks, Kurt."

Kurt smiled weakly. "....no problem...." Then his eyes rolled up and he collapsed onto the floor from exhaustion.

= * =

**_Howling WereWolf_**:

Yup. You saw right. Kurt just passed out. Nope. It's not a cliffie. He just needs to sleep it off.

For general info, Webber Torque is that darned kid who messed with Cerebro in "Fun and Games." Apologies for how some of the sentences turned out, but as the story is rated PG, I do not wish to upset any good little children by putting in the actual profanities. Imagination is all you need.

This has been a pretty long chapter. No guarantees if the others will meet up to this quota.

All ye who love the plot bunnies, say "aye"!

= * = * = * =


	4. Chapter FOUR

Final Evolution

CHAPTER FOUR

~ * ~ * ~ * ~

Wanda and Todd were waiting as the transport vessel entered the city port.

"Yo Pietro! How'd it go?" Todd called out the moment Pietro sauntered off the vessel.

"No big deal." Pietro answered casually. "Didn't help that my squad is full of laggers. Let's head back to the Institute."

As the Brotherhood of Disciplinary disappeared in one of the cars, Instructor Gray, Evan, Kurt and Tabitha filed out of the vessel.

"Good job." Instructor Gray complimented the remaining three students. "Head on back to the Institute for your results at 23 00. I'll see you then."

"Vell, zat leaves us vith three hours of spare time." Kurt stretched a few kinks out of his body. "I'm dropping in to see my folks before going back. Vould you guys like to come along?"

~ * ~ * ~ * ~

"Mamma! Vati! I'm home!"

"Die verschwenderische Sohnrückkehr" A voice commented darkly from behind a newspaper.

"Carsten!! Wieviele Male?!"

Kurt held his hands up in a pacifying gesture. "Mamma, Vati is only joking."

"He shouldn't." Mrs. Wagner huffed and looked back tot her son. "Vell Kurt, how have you been? Are zese your friends?"

"Ja, Mamma. Ve are just on our vay back to ze Institute to get our exam results-"

"-but zen you decided to come say hello first?" Mrs. Wagner shook her head. "Nein, Sohn. Get going now. You can say as many hellos as you like *after* you get ze results."

"Aw, Mamma..." Kurt mock-whined, pretending to look hurt. "You don't miss me?"

"No nonsense now, young Wagner. You're starting to sound like your Vater." Mrs. Wagner passed Kurt some money. "Go rent yourselves a car."

Kurt grinned. "Danke, Mamma. Ve'll be going now."

"Oh yes! Kurt!" Mrs. Wagner took a box from the kitchen table. "Your Vater and I got zis for you. If you hadn't stopped by, ve'd have sent it by mail."

Kurt's eyes flicked up and down as he read the box label, then they widened drastically. "Herr Krieger's Double Chocolate Nut Bars?! You got me Herr Krieger's Double Chocolate Nut Bars?!"

"Ja, Sohn. Your Vater said zese vere your favorite."

Kurt let out a loud whoop and bear-hugged his mother. "Ich liebe dich, Mamma!!"

He disappeared with a #BAMF#, reappearing to also bear-hug his newspaper reading father. "Ich liebe dich, Vati!!"

"Your velcome, Sohn." Mr. Wagner muttered uncomfortably. "Get out of here and get your results now, you hear me?"

"Ja! Danke! Auf Wiedersehen!" #BAMF# "Come on, guys! Let's go!" #BAMF#

Mr. Wagner coughed and waved away smoke from his face. "He's a prodigal son alright." He muttered in German. "But if there's one thing, Anselma, he's *our* prodigal son, and I'm proud of him."

~ * ~ * ~ * ~

Back in the Institute, the three students parted company for the time being. Tabitha wanted to freshen up first, and Kurt had some unfinished business to take care of with his box of nut bars.

Evan walked across the foyer and toward the directory. Headmaster Xavier was positioned there, conversing with Instructor Summers and Instructor Gray about the exam.

"......So what about the Morlocks' communication tower?"

"The Hydrian army agreed to withdraw their troops on the condition that the Morlocks withdrew the X-Men and allowed the Hydras to use their communication tower."

"Which would explain the emergency recall, right Headmaster?"

"That's correct."

"You realize doing this will cripple most of the students' results heavily, sir."

"Yes, Jean. But such unforeseen events tend to happen from time to time........"

Evan was about to make himself scarce when Instructor Gray noticed him.

"Evan! Come over here!"

Evan reluctantly followed the order, formally saluting both Instructors and the Headmaster.

"Hello again, Evan." Instructor Summers smiled. "Instructor Gray here tells me you're one of her top students."

"Pity he doesn't say much verbally, though." Instructor Gray chuckled. "Most of my students are like that."

"So tell me, young Evan. How did you enjoy your first real battle?" Headmaster Xavier queried.

_I didn't enjoy it. It was a disgrace to all that humanity has worked for. We were fighting people we never knew in a war we were never supposed to be involved in, all for Institute funds and a couple of grades._ Evan shrugged as apathetically as he could manage.

Headmaster Xavier and Instructor Gray gave each other funny looks. "You were right about his not saying much *verbally*."

~ * ~ * ~ * ~

No sooner had Evan parted ways with the Instructors and Headmaster Xavier did he run into Todd.

"Yo Evan. I gotta talk to ya, man."

Evan rolled his eyes. "What have I done now that has severely broken Institution Rules?"

Todd's eyes narrowed, indicating it wasn't funny. "I'm delivering a message, yo."

"From Pietro, I assume?"

"Naw. It's from Wanda." Todd leaned back on his heels. "Instructors Summers and Gray loaded it heavy on Pietro for disobeying direct orders. He's been suspended and all."

"Not dandy to imagine."

"Yeah well, Wanda's downright pissed, yo. She thinks it's your fault." Todd looked evasive. "She says if Pietro fails for the fifth time, all he needs do is cough, and she'll turn you and Freako into pin-cushions."

Evan involuntarily flinched at the thought. No one in their right mind would try and get on Wanda's bad side for a very good reason.

Todd studied the foyer clock. "Well, it's almost time for the exam results. You coming?"

~ * ~ * ~ * ~

All the cadets were assembled in the hallway, awaiting their results.

Kurt crouched in a corner, his tail twitching relentlessly.

Tabitha was twirling her hair nervously.

Evan stood around, staring into space.

Pietro leaned against a wall with the Brotherhood of Disciplinary alongside. Wanda had a dark scowl on her face that, if deadly, could bury anyone six feet under on direct contact.

Sudden footsteps alerted all the students to another's presence in the hallway. It was the mysterious Institute Faculty Head, scary enough to instill fear in everyone, including Wanda. He was know simply by the name Mesmero.

"I will now read out the names of the students who have passed the field exam." Mesmero stated emotionlessly. "Roberto Da Costa. Squad C."

There was a loud whoop as a dark-skinned student shot past and up to the Headmaster's office.

"Tabitha Smith. Squad A."

"WOOHOO!!!! YEAH BABY!!!" Tabitha rejoiced as she took off after the first student.

"Evan Munroe. Squad B. Kurt Wagner. Squad B. That's all. The rest are dismissed."

As Evan and Kurt made their way through the hallway, muttered cries of protest and disappointed mumbles bounced across the walls.

That year beheld more failures than any other before it.

~ * ~ * ~ * ~

"These are the students who passed the field exam."

"Ah. Good." Headmaster Xavier gave each of them a warm smile of approval. He looked like he had a lot to say to them, but Mesmero cut in promptly. "Headmaster. Make this quick. We have very little time on our hands."

"Oh...yes, of course." The headmaster nodded and took up a small stack of paper from his office desk.

"You will now receive your diplomas."

Headmaster Xavier went to each student in turn, and handed them each a diploma that certified them as official X-Men.

"Well then, congratulations." Headmaster Xavier cleared his throat. "I hope to see you all in your new X-Man uniform at the Graduation Party later. You are dismissed."

~ * ~ * ~ * ~

The four graduates returned to the hallway. Surprisingly, not one of the students had left.

Pietro pushed himself off the wall and strode right up to them. He glared at Evan dead in the eye.

_All he has to do now is cough, and I'll be an official ex-X-Man._ Evan did not so much as twitch his eyebrow. _What's he waiting for?_

Pietro took a step back. After hesitating for what seemed like ages, he raised his hands from his sides and started to clap.

At first, only his clapping could be heard in the silent hallway. Then Wanda and Todd followed their leader and also clapped. Slowly, all the students started applauded their four peers, the only four who had passed the field exam.

Kurt looked suddenly shy as he backed up behind the other graduates. Evan did his best to suppress a smug smile of triumph.

Moments like these were just too hard to come by. When they did, it was likely that they never came back.

= * =

**_Howling WereWolf_**:

Die verschwenderische Sohnrückkehr - The prodigal son returns

Wieviele Male - How many times

Ich liebe dich - I love you

I don't know if there really is such thing as Herr Krieger's Double Chocolate Nut Bars. If there is, I'm calling my agent to order me ten dozen boxes.

A/N: Fraid I'll have to stop Final Evolution for now. I've yet to win Diablos over, and that's a mighty long way to go, considering I'll barely have any free time in 2004.

Adios, people. I'll try my best to update soon.

= * = * = * =


	5. Chapter FIVE

Final Evolution

CHAPTER FIVE

~ * ~ * ~ * ~

Evan took a minute to study himself in his closet-installed mirror. His new X-Man uniform was dominantly black, like his cadet uniform had been. The only difference was that his was more customized to his individual preferences. His gloves had been replaced by hard shock-proof ones, each with a row of curved spikes on one side. There was more armor here and there as well.

There was a loud knocking on his dorm door.

"Evan! Are you still in there? Hurry up if you are!"

With a resigned groan, Evan opened the door to Tabitha. She whistled as she took in his new outfit. "Whoa! Looking good, hon!"

"You don't look too bad yourself."

Tabitha's entire suit was black, except the metal bits that appeared here and there. She struck Evan as some female action figure from an old Al Capone movie.

"Come on! Time's a-wasting!" She pumped her fist and charged down the hallway. "Let's go PAAAARTYYYYYYYY!!!!!!"

~ * ~ * ~ * ~

Later that evening found Evan in one corner with a can of cola at hand.

An Institute volunteer group, a.k.a. the Sirens, had gone through a lot of trouble to decorate the recreation room. All that effort had been paid in full, as the room radiated cheer and merriment. A laughing Instructor Summers warned him to keep on his toes, as the Siren support group (Sirens' sponsors) was in need of new members. Basically, no one, male or female, was safe.

#BAMF# "Guten tag, mein freund!"

Kurt got up from his crouched position with a big grin on his face. Evan noticed his costume had a large dark red 'V' running from his shoulders to his belt, his tail waving about from his also dark red pants. It's overall appearance made Kurt look like the professional acrobat he was. "Nice suit."

"Danke." Kurt also studied Evan's suit with a look of awe. "Yours looks great too, Evan. Really suits you."

"There you are, you guys!"

Tabitha ran over to where they were. "Are any of you guys interested in joining the Siren support group?"

Kurt quickly looked away and pointed into the crowd. "Hey! I zink I see Roberto over zere!" #BAMF#

"Humph." Tabitha pouted momentarily before turning on Evan. "How about you, hon? You interested? The more, the merrier! The merrier, the better!"

Evan shook his head apologetically. "Sorry, Tabitha. Try someone else."

"That'll make you the sixth person who declined." Tabitha sighed. "Ah well, no one said this would be easy..." Then she took off toward another group of students.

Evan thought he saw a shooting star streak through the night sky. Then he blinked and returned his attention to the dance floor.

Xavier, along with Instructor Summers, was discussing something with a few of the senior X-Men. A petite girl with a brown ponytail (_who the heck *is* that?_) walked up to Kurt and said something to him. Whatever it was, it excited him so much that his tail started to twitch even faster than usual. The girl proceeded to drag Kurt onto the dancing floor, causing the both of them to momentarily disappear into the crowd. Tabitha was scaring away students in hopeless attempts to recruit Siren support group members.

Evan suddenly noticed Instructor Gray approach him from another corner of the room. "Evan, do you have a minute?"

Evan nodded.

"I'll like you to come down with me to the old fountain at the back of the Institute grounds."

Evan raised an eyebrow. The old fountain was an unofficial second recreation room for the students, a place which enabled them more privacy.

"Shouldn't we leave booking students for violating curfew to the Brotherhood of Disciplinary?"

Instructor Gray shook her head as she laughed softly. "No. Nothing too violent involved. Just come on down there with me. That's my final order."

_Final order....why......?_ "Alright."

~ * ~ * ~ * ~

Despite the graduation party still taking place in the Institute, the old fountain still had quite a few stragglers nearby.

"I haven't been here for quite a while."

Instructor Gray led Evan to an empty spot by the fountain. They sat side by side, watching occasional ripples.

".....What time is it?"

Evan studied his watch. "Midnight exactly."

".........." Instructor Gray sighed. "I, Jean Gray, am no longer an Institute Instructor from this point forward."

_What the.....was she......?_

"-fired, Evan? Yes." The former instructor smiled apologetically for reading his thoughts. "Mesmero told me I lacked many leadership qualities. Too many. Therefore, I'm just an *X-Man* now." She smirked at the contradictory word. "Who knows. Maybe they might send us on missions together." She sighed again. "Perhaps I'm in self-denial, but I just can't understand what I did wrong, where I failed my duty as a teacher. I tried my best, I really did. I didn't.........Are you still with me, Evan?"

"You came to the wrong person." Evan turned his back on the fountain water. "I'm no good with advice."

"It's not advice I asked you here for. I just want someone who can listen."

"Neither am I a good listener. Of all people, you should know best." Evan stood up. "No offense, but you'd fare a lot better by talking to a wall."

"Guess there's one of those many leadership qualities I'm lacking." Jean got up as well. "He's probably right after all."

Suddenly, she froze, her face filled with intense concentration. Then her voice flooded into Evan's mind.

_Evan, we have to get to the front gate! Someone needs help!_

~ * ~ * ~ * ~

The sounds of loud machine whirring, frightened screams and angry barks attracted Evan and Jean to their source.

A large mechanical python was attempting to attack a woman with brown hair. Her wolf-like canine companion was snarling and lunging, making aggressive demands for the machine to back off.

_Woman.......dog.......from the infirmary........._

"That's the Institution Security System's new prototype! It's malfunctioning! We have to stop it!"

"Like this?" Evan fired a row of spikes, driving them into the metal body of the python and halfway out the other end. With a loud groan, it fell to the floor with electricity sparking out from the holes.

"That'll do just fine." Jean ran over to the woman and dog. "Are you two alright?"

The canine looked up at Jean before suddenly turning into a small girl with reddish-brown hair. "Thank you for your help." She bowed politely before turning to help the woman up, at the same time retrieving a white cane from the grass.

As Evan and Jean watched, the girl led the woman back into the Institute.

"I guess I'll have to go back to the classroom now. Mesmero wants the workspace ready for the replacement instructor."

When Jean was quite a distance away, Kurt appeared next to Evan with in a #BAMF# of smoke. "Zere you are! I've been looking all over for you!"

"What happened to the girl you were dancing with?"

Kurt shrugged. "She had to talk to ze headmaster." Then he offered a hand. "Now zat ve are X-men, ve've been assigned new dorms. I'm supposed to direct you to yours."

"Alright, then. Lead the way."

"Jawohl."

#BAMF#

= * =

**_Howling WereWolf_**:

That's IT, people! The last one before I go dormant!!!

I wish I could continue. I planned to get down the plot for the next chapter in my last day of utter liberty. Unfortunately, Diablos kicked my sorry butt for the fourth time [I just plain suck (P]. Now there will be no continuation until my school 'O's are over, thus allowing me to get back to the game.

Diablos: neener neener neener! *pokes out tongue*

HW: **I BLAME YOU**!!!

Diablos: Whatever, sucker. May I go back to sleep *now*?

= * = * = * =


End file.
